Bhopal: Visually impaired man becomes number 1 Royal Enfield mechanic

Bhopal: It is not easy to tell a complaint by listening to the sound of a bike. The fact that you have to identify the complaint without having a look would make it difficult for most of us, isn't it? Well, not for Munne Blind of Bhopal, whose name is synonymous with the Enfield motorcycles in Bhopal.

As his name suggest, Munne is visually impaired since 1972. The fact that he is visually impaired does not deter the mechanic from craving a name for himself as a top class modifier of bikes. His special talent - identifying faults in Enfield Bullets, just by hearing their roar!

However, it has not been a smooth ride for Munne. He lost his vision in 1972, when he was 20-year-old. Then, the only thing he could do was to repair motorcycles. Realising that he has a family to take care of, he took up the job of repairing and modifying Enfield motorbikes. And within no time, his reputation gained fame far and wide.

"My experience and practice has helped me. I tried to do the job to the best of my ability and people come to me from very far off places," says Munne. In what could only come through practice, Munne could tell the condition of an enfield motorbike engine just from the sound it made. He could inform his customers about alignment and structure-related problems just by the bare feel of the machine. Needless to say, he converted this rare gift into an art form over a period of time.

Slowly, over the years he has turned his 50 square feet work shop to the most trusted address in the city. Not only does he earn bread and butter for his family of nine but also tutor his students about the nuances of the Enfield motor cycle. "He is my teacher and is a very good man. Though he cannot see but his knowledge about the bike is such that people come to consult him from all over the country," says Mohammad Iqbal, one of his students.

While, Munne is not able to walk due to his age-related problems, his passion for the Enfield motorcycle has seen people from across the country rush to him to restore their bikes.